#26 Bobby Knoop - Los Angeles Angels

Robert Frank Knoop
Los Angeles Angels
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  170
Born:  October 18, 1938, Sioux City, IA
Signed:  Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Angels 1964; California Angels 1965-1969; Chicago White Sox 1969-1970; Kansas City Royals 1971-1972

Bobby Knoop enjoyed a nine-year Major League career, winning a Gold Glove three years in a row (1966-1968) for his work at second base and earning a trip to the All-Star Game in 1966.  Known for his defense, Knoop is acknowledged as one of the better fielding infielders of the 1960s as he had fantastic range and a strong throwing arm.  Along with shortstop Jim Fregosi (#210), Knoop formed a solid double play combination for the Angels between 1964 and 1969.  He was the club's MVP four seasons in a row, a mark since tied by Garret Anderson and Mike Trout.  In 1,153 career games, Knoop hit .236 with 56 home runs and 331 RBIs.  He currently ranks within the top 100 in MLB history for putouts, assists and double plays turned as a second baseman.

Following his playing career, Knoop served as a coach, scout and front office advisor between the mid-1970s and his retirement in 2019.  He coached at the Major League level with the White Sox (1977-1978), Angels (1979-1996, 2013-2018), Blue Jays (2000) and Rockies (2008-2012).  Knoop was elected into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2013.

Building the Set
July 20, 2020 from Scottsdale, AZ - Card #126
I continued to be fairly active with my eBay purchases in July, as we prepared for the abbreviated 60-game baseball season to start.  Having been somewhat haphazard in my eBay hunts up until this point, I decided to focus and specifically try to complete the first series of our 1965 Topps set.  I added 10 cards to our set from the first series (cards #1 through #88) from Scottsdale Baseball Cards, and the envelope with our new cards arrived on July 20th.  As of this writing, we need 39 of the 88 cards from the first series so we're more than half-way there.  The priciest card still needed is the A.L. Home Run Leaders card (#5) featuring Mickey Mantle.  This Knoop card entered our collection for $1.25.

The Card / Angels Team Set
Knoop's rookie card can be found in the 1964 Topps set, as he shared a Rookie Stars card with Bob Lee (#46).  We unintentionally added Lee's 1965 card to our set with this purchase as well.  This is Knoop's first solo Topps baseball card appearance, and he'd appear in each Topps flagship release through 1972.  Knoop hadn't yet won a Gold Glove, but the back of the card was already touting his strong defensive skills.  The note on the back about him being drafted from Hawaii isn't entirely accurate.  Knoop was selected by the Angels from the Braves in December 1963 in the annual rule 5 draft.  Somehow, prior to the draft, Knoop had finished the 1962 season with the Hawaii Islanders, the PCL affiliate of the Angels.

Knoop is in the harder to find 1965 Topps Transfers insert set, but he's not in the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set.

1965 Season
In his second full season as the regular second baseman for the Angels, Knoop played in 142 games and hit .269 with 7 home runs and 43 RBIs.  On the strength of his defensive play, he actually earned some A.L. MVP votes, finishing 24th overall.

1964 Topps #502

1967 Topps #175

1969 Topps #445

1970 Topps #695

1972 Topps #664

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #502
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1964-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #234

58 - Knoop non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/21/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

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